Detachable fixture support and bracket



Feb. 6, 1940. R. s. SANFORD 2,189,153

DETACHABLE FIXTURE SUPPORT AND BRACKET Filed June 12, 1937 Patented Feb. 6, 1940 i r v UNITED S'TATES v aisaisci FIXTURE SUPPORT BRAC 1.1 Roy s. Sanford, Oakville, (lonns'assignor'to The nETAonABLE Autoyre Company,

, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut'- ATEN M H ZI .V,

KET

Incorporated, Oakville,

Application June,1 2, 193 'i, Serial No. 147,821 fY mins. This invention relates to a detachable fixture support and bracket and has special referenceto a bracket permanently secured to a wall or other support for receiving in detachable engagement 5 therewith a bath room fixture or like member without recourse to the use of tools. U i 1 More particularly, this invention relates to a wall bracket having a face plate spacedfrom. the Wall and provided with a slot therein and a fixlO ture having a bar secured: thereto and extending therefrom and adapted to be inserted "through the slot when the fixture and thebracket'are angularly disposed relative to the normal assembled position thereof, there being means on the face plate frictionally engaging the inserted bar and predetermining the normal assembled position thereof. Alsothe invention contemplates the provision of a separate meanson the'face plate for engaging a portion o'f the fixture for. locking the same in an assembled position.

It is desirable in a bath room fixture or like -member to permit the same to be readily removed or interchanged at will without, recourse to the use of tools. For example, in the provision of a soap dish it is preferable that the-bottom of the dish be solid so as to preventdrippings from the wet soap falling on the floor or other surface below the fixture. Were a dish of this type to be permanently connected to the walliit'would be difiicult to clean. The present invention, therefore, contemplates a connection between the soap dish or other fixture and the wall bracket where by the dish can be easily removed for cleaning or for any other purpose without disturbing the fixed relation between the bracket and the wall.

In the present invention the dish, which is used for illustrative purposes only, is disengaged from the bracket by merely turning the same ap-i proximately 90" so that the'bar on the fixture will register with the slot of the bracket where after the bar may be removed. therethrough.v The fixture is engaged, in thereverse orderb'y inserting the bar through the registering slot and turning the same in theopposite direction until" the bar rides up onto the indentations of the bracket tobe locked thereby under friction.

Inorder to predetermine the assembled position of the fixture and bracket, other means as for example an indentation on the face plate, receives a portion of the fixture which in this .instance is the peripheral extending edge thereof and a snap or looking action is obtained, the bracket being preferably made of spring steel to permit a distortion thereof prior to obtaining a It is another feat '1 nient obviates both of the aboveobiections. Furvide a device of the abovetype which is simple" cient in operation.

registration of the peripheral edge m1 theindentation. 1

Applicant'is aware of constructions where adetachable engagement is had betweena fixture and a wall bracket wherein a wedge-like binding is obtained to obtain the assembled relation therebetween. Unlike awedge which willbind, depending upon, the amount of pressure {81pployed, the present invention locks'andfunlock's under the same or auniform pressure. In the use of a wedge-like construction, sufficient pres-, sure may be employed, resulting, for example, i from the heavyweight of the fixture and'supported object, to lock the fixture and bracket in such a relation-that it is practically impossible '15 to separate the same. In the present construc--- tion the weight of the fixture, or thefixture'ineluding itssupported object, will notitend to lock the constructionany tighterthan it is'ordinarily locked and thesame pressure is employed [20 in any event ineither unlocking or locking the fixture and bracket into and out of an assem bled'position. Q j "re of the present} invention that there is no tendency forthe fixture to unlock from the bracket after it has been ,assem bled'in subsequent handling, during shipment or on the store counter. Itwis usual either thatthe brackets and fixtures of the wedgetype constructions are separately storedfor counterf use or [there is atendency for the bracket to become displaced from the fixture, either of which is undesirable. The presentinterlocking arrange ther it will be noted that the'locking arrange ment is, not seen when in assembled'condition 'and'this enhances the appearance of thecon- 'struction. f i

One' of the objects of this invention isftO. BIO- in construction, comparatively inexpensive, to

; manufacture, and is durable, a

Another object of this invention is to provide" a (device of the character indicated above which "will have a pleasing appearance and yet be ,efli- Other objects and advantages will hereinafter befmore particularly pointed out and for a more complete understanding of the characteristic 0 features of this invention, reference may now be had to the following! description when taken together with, the "accompanying drawing, in which latter:

I Figure 1 is afront elevational view of a con- 56 tion;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a rear elevational view of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on the'line l l of Fig. 3, showing a portion of the dish broken away;

Fig.5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 3, showing a fragmentary portion of the bracket and the supported dish;

Fig. 6 is a front elevational view of a modified form of bracket construction embodying the features of this invention; and

. Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 'TT of Fig. 6.

"Referring now to the drawing and more particularly to Figs/l to 5 inclusive thereof, a bracket I0 is adapted to be permanently secured to a wall or other support as by means of screws passing through apertures II in the face plate l2. The face plate 52 is provided with a peripheral fiange l3 extending therearound to space the face plate from the wall or support to which the bracket is secured. Y I

The face plate l 2 is also provided with a raised portion M extending in a direction opposite to the direction of extension of the peripheral fiange iii.

The raised portion M is preferablysubstantially centrally disposed relative to the bracket proper and may be of any desired contour, the bracket It! being of polygonal contour as well as the raised portion I l. However, it is to be understood that the specific contours employed merely for the purpose of appearance.

' An elongated slot 15 is provided in theraised portion M of the bracket and, in the instance shownin the drawing, theslot extends substantially horizontally. Ears l6 and Il are provided on opp site sides of the slot l5 and preferably from the material of the slot, the slot being Y formed by slitting the material of the bracket at longitudinally andlaterally spaced portions and bending the material therebetween at substantially right angles to the face of the bracket."

The ear lfiis disposed near one end of the slot and the opposite ear l! is disposed at the other end of :the slot to vproyidestops, for a purpose which will hereinafter be more fully apparent. A pair of projections I 8 and I9 are deformed from the material of the raised portion I4 to extend inthe direction of the wall or in a direction opposite to the direction of the raised portion. These projections are disposed on oppo site sides of the slot t5 and are-of the same height.

-Thebracket it is preferably formed of spring steel in order to obtain a slight degree'of. resilience in supporting the projections l8 and S9,. for purposes which will hereinafter be moreparticularlydescribed. I

The raised portion M is also provided with a pair of indentations 2i and 2! disposed adjacent the ends of the slot lathe indentations extending in the direction of the projections It and L9 or in a direction toward the wall. The particular indentations shown aresubstantially V-shaped when viewed in cross section although, of course,

they may be made ofany shape that may be desired. The depth of the indentation is preferably not greater than the depth of the raised portion M and is preferably substantially less, so'that the fixture, as will hereinafter be more fully apparent, will not rub against the face plate 82 in assembling or disassembling the fixture from the bracket.

a position wherein the dish is horizontal. moving the fixture to this position the engaging struction embodying the features of this invenand 2| are V-shaped to receive the extending peripheral edge although the indentations 2t and 2i in any instance should be made to conform to the outline of that portion of the fixture that extends for engagement therewith.

The fixture has a lateral extension 27 preferably welded, soldered, or otherwise secured to the wire 28 with a bar 22 extending at substantially right angles to the extension 2? and being preferably formed integrally with or otherwise secured thereto intermediate the ends of the bar. The bar is adapted to be inserted through the slot i5 when the fixture and bracket are angularly disposed relative to the normal assembled position thereof and, in the instance of the drawing, the bar 28 is shown as being perpendicular.

While the relation of. the bar 23 to the fixture has been disclosed as. being perpendicular with respect thereto it is, of course, to be understood that the bar may be directed horizontally orat any other angle so 'long as the bracket and fixture are angularly disposed relative to the normal assembled position thereof at the time the bar 28 is inserted through the slot l5. preferably of polygonal cross section providing a substantial engaging face along that portion facing the fixture, the fiat face frictionally engaging the vprojections i8 and 59 when in an assembled position. I

-When' the bracket i9 is permanently securedto a wall or other supporting structure and it is desired to assemble the fixture on the bracket, the fixture is moved to a position, in the instance shown in the drawing, where the length thereof is vertical so that the bar 2d extends in a horizontal direction. In this position the bar which is substantially the size of the slot'is inserted therethrough and the fixture moved to In face of, the bar is moved into contact with the projections l8 and i9 which frictionally hold the fixture against displacement from the bracket. The ears l 6 and I? prevent a rotation beyond-the horizontal position of the dish and predetermine the assembled relation thereof. However, in order to'lock the dish in such predetermined position, the indentations 23 and 2! permit the extending peripheral edge of the fixture to snap therein. The resilience of the spring steel of the bracket permits of a tight engagement of the locking members. 7

When it is desired to disassemble the fixture from the supporting bracket the dish is moved from its normal horizontal position to a vertical position for alignment of the bar with the slot so that the barmay be removed therethrough. It is necessary, in order to remove the dish, to force a disengagement of thesquare wire from the indentations 29 and 2! which is possible through the resiliency of the metal and to overcome the frictional resistance of the projections i8 and IQ. Such positive locking prevents accidental displacement of the bracket from the fixture in The bar 28 is l so I ordinary handling when in the store and. when in ordinary use in the home.

indentations 2t and 2! hide the slot, through which the bar is inserted, from View and makes for a good appearance in the assembly.

In securing the bracket to the wall by means of screws extending through the apertures H thereof, the screws may be tightened to a greater degree than is necessary and, in this manner, tend to lessen the resiliency of the spring ma terial of the bracket.

tain at least the normal resiliency of the material of the bracket. It is to be understood, however, that it is not necessary to slit the material the entire distance to the apertures, or in fact, to slit the material at all but it is desirable, nevertheless, to provide such a reiieving means in many instances to guard against cbtaining too great a tension on the bracket.

It may be desirable, in some instances, in order to further enhance the appearance of the ,de

vice, to hide the screws which hold the bracket to the wall or other supporting structure.

referring to Figs. 6 and 7 a bracket 29 is shown,

which is similar in all respects to the bracket I 0 with the exception that no screw holes or slits are shown in the face plate thereof,- a backing plate 30 secured to the peripheral edge of the flange 3! being provided with screw holes 32 for receiving screws 32a.

The backing plate 36 is preferably formed of metal, and fits within the flange 3| and is preferably spot-welded or soldered thereto. vScrews are inserted through the holes 32 in the back-' ing plate 30 and are accessible throughthe slot 33 which corresponds in the previous'ernbodiment to the slot (5. In all other respects, hoW- ever, the bracket is the same as that previously described and the fixture is mounted thereon in the same manner. 45

While but two embodiments of this invention are herein shown and described, it is to be understood that various modifications thereof may be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention and, therefore, the same is only to be limited by the scope of the prior art and the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, in

The extending peripheral edge of the fixture which engages the- Therefore, it may be de-- sirable to slit the material of the bracket as at lZa between the slot l5 and the apertures II to relieve the tension of the screws and recombination, a wall bracket having a face plate spaced from the wall and provided with a slot therein, a fixture having an extending periph- ,eral edge and a bar extending therefrom and adapted to be inserted through said slot when i said fixture and bracket are angularly disposed relative to the normal assembled position thereof, means on said face plate for frictionally engaging said inserted bar in a normal assembled position, and an indentation on said face plate for receiving saidextending peripheral edge of said fixture for locking said fixture and said face plate in said normal assembled position.

2. In a device of the character described,

combination, a Wall bracket having an apertured face plate spaced from the wall and pro-f vided with a slot therein, a fixture having a bar secured thereto and extending therefrom and adapted to be inserted through said slot when said fixture and bracket are angularly dis posed relative to the normal assembled position thereof, said face plate having a slit extending outwardly from and communicating with said slot, and means on said face plate frictionally position.

3. In a device of the character described, in"

combinationia wall bracket having an apertured backing plate and having a face plate spaced from the wall and provided with a slot therein, a fixture having a bar secured thereto and extending therefrom and adapted to be inserted through said slot when saidfixture and bracket,

are angularly disposed relative to the normal assembled position thereof, and means on said faceplate for frictionally engaging said inserted bar in, a normal assembled position, the apertures of said backing plate being accessible for receiving securing members through the slot in said face plate.

4..In a device of the character described, in

combination, a wall bracket having a face plate of spring material spaced from the wall and provided with a slot therein, a fixture having an extending portion and having a bar adapted 1 to be inserted through said slot when said fixture' and'bracket are angularly disposed relative to the normal assembled position thereof, and an indentation on said face plate for receiving said extendingportionin snap engagement therewith for locking said fixture and said face plat in said normal assembled position.

ROY s. SANFORD. 

